Minor spark for ‘Reign of Fire’

It’s the apocalypse. “Reign of Fire” is a fast-paced

monster/action flick that will entertain anyone who is a fan of this

genre. Giant dragons pulsate fire from their mouths, covering the

earth in hot, white ash. Testosterone-soaked men and an obligatory

attractive female hunt down the dragons with huge guns. Small

orphaned children look cute and vulnerable, but thankfully don’t sing

or dance. This is pretty much a big-screen comic book, but it’s

entertaining and occasionally offers a few surprises.

Twenty years after the discovery of the first dragon, the world

has been laid to waste. The military has been rendered impotent.

Nukes couldn’t stop dragons from multiplying.

Quinn Abercromby (Christian Bale) is the leader of a group of

people who have managed to survive against the dragons by holing up

in an abandoned castle. He hopes to hold together what’s left of

civilization until the dragons return to dormancy.

It starts to look like this will be just another story about

starving Celts covered in mud when a new problem arrives. What’s left

of the American Army comes rolling down the street and knocks on the

castle door.

The leader of the Americans is Denton Van Zan (Matthew

McConaughey). He’s an absurdly macho, tattooed tough guy -- sort of a

mutation combining George C. Scott and Henry Rollins. In many ways,

Van Zan is the typical over-the-top action hero. He constantly chews

on a cigar that never seems to be lighted and makes Rambo seem like a

sensitive intellectual. The conflict between Van Zan and Quinn -- who

will lead and who will follow -- becomes central to the story. Quinn

prefers to rebuild civilization and protect his people; Van Zan wants

Quinn and his people to join him and fight the dragons.

The dragons look pretty cool. My only complaint is that the scale

of the monsters never seems clear. We know they are huge, but I felt

like I never got a sense for how big they really are. When you see

them torching model cars and buildings, you know they are supposed to

be giant, but they don’t seem quite as huge when they interact with

the characters. It’s a little like Godzilla in Tokyo, but with a much

more sophisticated-looking critter. To the best of my knowledge, no

actual dragons were harmed during the making of this film.

This one is worth the nine bucks if you’re nuts about dragon

movies. It’s well-worth the three bucks at a budget theater or as a

rental. If you go into this with low expectations, thinking of it as

just another adolescent B-movie with monsters, you’ll be surprised at

how good it is.

The characters are well-humored, and the story is fun when it gets

the small details right. The only thing that stunk about this movie

was the 2-year-old running up and down the aisle who clearly needed

to be changed.

* JIM ERWIN, 40, is a technical writer and computer trainer.

‘Who Is Cletis Tout,’ a film for film buffs

Assuming the identity of a dead man creates more problems than it

solves for a forgery con artist who has just escaped from jail in

“Who is Cletis Tout.” What promises to be the start of life as a free

man for Trevor Finch quickly turns into a race against time that

unfolds with more twists and turns than a plot from a popular soap

opera.

“Who Is Cletis Tout” relies on witty dialogue more than special

effects to unfold a criminal comedy caper about buried treasure, a

case of mistaken identity and a little bit of romance.

“Who Is Cletis Tout” capitalizes on the same story elements that

made “Pulp Fiction” and “Get Shorty” fun films to watch. “Cletis

Tout” cross-pollinizes the idle chit chat between criminals in “Pulp

Fiction” (i.e. What do you call a Big Mac in Holland?) with the

movie-loving character always pitching an idea for a movie in “Get

Shorty.” The resulting effect is a delicious little story told in

flashbacks within flashbacks that add missing pieces to the puzzle

that classic movie lovers will find memorable yet refreshing.

“Cletis Tout” is a movie you don’t want to know too much about

before seeing the film. Think along the lines of “Sleuth” and “The

Sting” -- or for a more recent referral, the opening scenes of

“Goldmember” -- learning too much about the film spoils the viewer’s

pleasure.

“Cletis Tout” stars Christian Slater (“Heathers”) but Tim Allen’s

(from the television sitcom “Home Improvement”) performance as

Critical Jim is played with such devilish relish and delight that he

steals every scene he’s in. Allen’s movie-addicted hit-man character

is the engine driving the entire picture.

Also appearing in the film are Richard Dreyfuss as Micah and

Portia de Rossi (“Alley McBeal”) as Micah’s daughter. Adding comic

relief to some of the film’s quieter moments is RuPaul as an overly

affectionate but nosy neighbor of Mr. Tout’s.

“Who Is Cletis Tout” was well-received by the audience that broke

out in applause as the credits rolled at the end of the movie.

Geared for film buffs who talk about the movies as much as they

spend time watching their favorite movies, “Cletis Tout” may be short

on big-name movie stars but overly generous on entertainment.

* PEGGY J. ROGERS, 39, produces commercial videos and

documentaries.